GORSE HILL residents will have a Conservative councillor for the first time in living memory after the Tories sensationally won the seat on a dramatic night at the Guildhall.
Although no party won overall control once again, Worcester’s political map has again been redrawn with the addition of a third Green Party councillor and the departure of the current Mayor of Worcester Steve Mackay.
Mohammed Altaf sensationally won the Gorse Hill seat for the Tories with 590 votes from Labour’s Jenny Barnes who was looking to retain the seat for the party following the retirement of former councillor Geoff Williams but only polled 529 votes.
Tory cheers were short-lived as Battenhall residents once again elected a Green Party councillor as Louise Griffiths won the seat with 1,114 votes, just 99 ahead of Steve Mackay.
The current Mayor added more than 200 votes to his tally compared to when he was first elected in 2014 but it wasn’t enough to defeat the newest Green councillor who joins party leader Coun Louis Stephen and Coun Neil Laurenson at the Guildhall.
There was more drama in Claines as a Liberal Democrat resurgence saw Mel Allcott come with 62 votes of winning the seat back from the Conservatives in an area of the city which was represented by three Liberal Democrat councillors a decade ago.
Despite the closely fought contest, Stuart Denlegh-Maxwell secured the seat for the Conservatives with 1,155 votes and will return to the council having served the people in Claines from 1988 to 1994.
Another tense battle was fought in Warndon Parish North as Conservative Stephen Hodgson’s 334 vote majority was cut by Labour’s Andy Graham to just 142 votes and the Tories final hope of the one seat they needed for a majority was denied when Deputy Mayor Jabba Riaz held on to his Cathedral seat for Labour.
He added more than 200 votes to his 2014 tally to finish 292 ahead of the challenge of Conservative Nida Hassan who also added in excess of 150 votes on to the party’s share from the 2014 poll.
The result means the Conservatives remain the largest party on Worcester City Council with 17 seats, Labour are down one on 15 seats while the Green Party are up to three seats.
THE RESULTS IN FULL
Battenhall
John Butterfield (UKIP) 32
Louise Griffiths (Green Party) 1,114 ELECTED
Saiful Islam (Labour) 94
Karen Lawrance (Lib Dem) 14
Steve Mackay (Conservative) 1,015
Turnout – 56 per cent
Bedwardine
Bill Amos (Conservative) 1,111 ELECTED
John Beacham (UKIP) 75
Daniel Manning (Green Party) 120
Mike Mullins (Lib Dem) 162
Leisa Taylor (W E P) 158
Christopher Winwood (Labour) 528
Turnout – 33 per cent
Cathedral
Ken Carpenter (Lib Dem) 163
Hazel FInch (UKIP) 96
Nida Hassan (Conservative) 1,180
Jabba Riaz (Labour) 1,472 ELECTED
Alaric Stephen (Green Party) 237
Turnout – 40 per cent
Claines
Mel Allcott (Lib Dem) 1,093
Rachael Baylis (Labour) 417
Stuart Denlegh-Maxwell (Conservative) 1,155 ELECTED
Mark Hulme (UKIP) 42
Peter Robinson (Green Party) 147
Turnout – 44 per cent
Gorse Hill
Mohammed Altaf (Conservative) 560 ELECTED
Jenny Barnes (Labour) 529
Hannah Cooper (Green Party) 80
John Francis (UKIP) 117
Turnout – 33 per cent
Nunnery
Pat Agar (Labour) 1,017 ELECTED
Jon Barras (UKIP) 111
Carl Mason (British Res) 17
Barbara Mitra (Green Party) 149
Haris Saleem (Conservative) 713
Turnout – 34 per cent
Rainbow Hill
Marjory Bisset (Green Party) 97
Dave Carney (UKIP) 45
Tom Collins (Labour) 599 ELECTED
Chris Rimell (Conservative) 233
Jon Taylor (Liberal Democrat) 34
Turnout – 24 per cent
St Johns
Darrell Butler (Lib Dem) 77
Malcolm Copson (Conservative) 479
Mark Davies (TUSC) 32
Matthew Lamb (Labour) 942 ELECTED
Chris Lindsay (Green Party) 88
Rob Menzies (UKIP) 52
Turnout – 27 per cent
St Peter’s
Lisa Barras (UKIP) 40
Mike Johnson (Conservative) 1,009 ELECTED
Bob Southern (Labour) 300
Nicky Williams (Green Party) 231
Turnout – 35 per cent
Warndon
Pam Clayton (Conservative) 213
Owen Cleary (UKIP) 112
Jo Hodges (Labour) 507 ELECTED
Francis Lankester (Conservative) 168
Alison Morgan (Green Party) 58
Peter Nielsen (Green Party) 37
Chris Roberts (UKIP) 114
Ceri Stalker (Labour) 454 ELECTED
Turnout – 23 per cent
Warndon Parish North
Paul Boyes (UKIP) 27
Andrew Cross (Green Party) 196
James Goad (Libertarian Party) 14
Andy Graham (Labour) 562
Stephen Hodgson (Conservative) 704 ELECTED
Sarah Murray (Liberal Democrat) 55
Turnout – 38 per cent
Warndon Parish South
Stephen Brohan (Green Party) 82
Nicholas Jordan (UKIP) 35
Steve Mather (Liberal Democrat) 81
Andy Roberts (Conservative) 820 ELECTED
Ella Young (Labour) 406
Turnout – 31 per cent
